The incident sparked an emergency medical services plan response calling for multiple ambulances to the scene, Langford said.The children were taken in good condition to area hospitals, Langford said.

The incident happened in the school's cafeteria and the student responsible was removed from the school, Chicago Public School's spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus said in a statement.

Officials initially said the item was pepper spray but officials later said that they could not firm what was in the liquid that was sprayed, said Sainvilus.

The parents of the affected students were notified and the school was alerting all school parents through letters and phone calls, Sainvilus said.

School officials are working with Chicago police officials to investigate the incident and determine what disciplinary actions will be taken, said Sainvilus.

"We thank the principal and the Beasley elementary school staff for taking quick and appropriate action to contain this incident and to get the school operating back to normal," according to the statement.